I see the neurosurgeon tomorrow after having an MRI this afternoon. I will know more then. He is the best in the area.

Hope it goes well. Keep us posted.

I dread it, but I'm gonna have to go there one day. I did okay putting it off so far, because it was mostly pain. Now I'm having weakness and that is not cool.

Still looking for info on artificial disc replacement and hoping I can hold off till that is an option for me.

ras - *miss* was my second choice.

Surgery is scheduled for April 22nd. As the doc put it, after my MRI yesterday, it is a no brainer.

My thoughts & prayers will be with you on the 22nd. I think that's the same day Jim has his surgery scheduled.

You will be in & out of the hospital before you know it!

Are hospitals all over the country running a special on cervical spine surgery this spring?

With everyone having c-spine surgery lately maybe we should have a
"Decorate Your Cervical Collar" Award

If you have any questions feel free to e mail me.

Risby

Risby - remember when your mom said - Knock it off or you'll fall and break your neck!

Well, apparently, our moms were right.

i'm glad you're still recovering.
and, cheryl, best of luck on your surgery. i hope it helps with the shoulder.

Thanks Risby and yes you are right, Jim's surgery is scheduled for the same day! I hope he does well.

Great to hear how well you are recovering, Risby..

Many prayers a good wishes coming your way, Cheryl, for the 22nd. May the operation be a breeze and a total success..

Hi Risby.

I'd email you directly but apparently I can't until I post 20 messages.....

So you'll have been in a hard collar for over a month! Wow! I'm so sorry.

The first cutter I saw was a neurosurgeon and he wanted to do C5-C6 and C6-C7 and a hard collar for 2-3 weeks followed by a soft collar for 2-3 weeks more. He also did not seem very responsive to my concerns related to these weeks in light of my MS-limitations.

I got a second opinion from an orthopaedic surgeon. A much younger guy who came very highly recommended by my PT. ("If I had to have this operation, this is the guy I'd use.") He thought I just needed work on C6-C7 and, unless he encounters something during surgery that the MRI and X-ray didn't show, he thought I could use a soft collar for the first few weeks.

We'll see. . . .

My biggest concern -- well, somewhere near the top of my list of my biggest concerns -- is the (are the?) logistics of putting on the AFO while wearing whatever collar I'm wearing.

I love that, among the recommendations sent me in the "So You're Going to Have Back/Neck Surgery" packet was the importance of walking -- a little more every day. "By the time you're ready for your 6 week checkup, you should be walking a mile every day."

Really?

I can't remember the last time I walked a mile.

But, back in the day, I'd easily walk 10 miles on a Saturday, just roaming the lakeshore and Lincoln Park in Chicaga.

(For the past 15 or so years, home has been Chapel Hill, NC but the original home was Chicaga as you might tell from the use of the terminal "A" in the name of the name.)

I've also heard conflicting things about what I'll be able to eat those first days. Liquid diet only?

BTW, thanks for the tip on bendy straws.

I've rambled on enough.

Any/all other random thoughts/suggestions/warnings/advice would be *most* welcome, Risby.

And hang in there for the next coupla weeks.

Jim

Cheryl, Hope the surgery goes well!